A Dash of Ginger
by The Delirium Threemen
Summary: Labor Day Challenge 2013 entry. Set after the Details episode. Dr. Early embarks on a new relationship and the battle of the bulge and some extreme diets people have subjected themselves through over the ages is the topic of discussion between Rampart's three doctors. Warning: Some harsh language and obviously implied adult situations.


**A Dash of Ginger**

**By: The Delirium Threemen**

**August 2013**

* * *

**Don't own the copyright to any of the characters depicted in Emergency. They are the property of Universal Studios/Mark VII Productions. Content from the show is the property of the original creators. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Any content from the Season 4 Details episode belongs to Harold Jack Bloom, Robert A. Cinader, and writer Michael Norell.**

**All original story content is the sole property of The Delirium Threemen and may not be used without permission.**

**Warning: Some harsh language and obviously implied adult situations.**

* * *

He peered down at the woman in the hospital bed. She was bright and bold like the neon sign for the Earl Carroll Theatre. Her orange-red evening gown reflected the vibrancy that was a big part of what he found enticing about her. He went over the doctor's instructions with her and closed his chart. He held the patient chart tightly in his hands to prevent them from shaking. His attraction to her yanked at him, making it a hard struggle to maintain the mild-mannered doctor reputation that he was known for. He knew; she knew that she was flirting with him without saying a word. He managed to overcome the desire to flirt back with her by issuing a teasing reprimand about not cheating on her diet.

"Anybody ever tell you that you have sexy eyes?" Ginger responded back with an innocence-coated mischievousness.

Her brashness made him feel like a teenage boy who went off prematurely trying to get to home plate for the first time with a pretty girl. He felt his body heat rise in embarrassment and stared down at the chart he was fumbling to keep in both his hands. Not only was she flirting with him, but she was doing so in front of one of his coworkers, someone he also considered a friend and confidant.

"Well you know, you must have something that we've –ah- been overlooking here." Dixie said as she gave him a quick up and down look.

It was obvious to him that Ginger would continue to flirting with him, egged on by Dixie. He had to escape from the room before his face was the same shade as Ginger's nightgown. The only weapon at his disposal was the classic standby; he had to make rounds.

He managed to avoid making direct eye contact with Dixie for the remainder of his shift until she cornered him in Kel's office saying their goodbyes for the evening.

"Now that I got you two just where I want you, I have a favor to ask." Dixie stood in the doorway of the office.

"What's it gonna cost us, Dixie?" Dr. Early joked as he looked downward at his feet, silently praying that she wouldn't bring up what happened in front of his zesty patient earlier.

"Besides our sanity," Dr. Brackett added dryly.

"You both remember Ginger? Well, she's looking for a bit of a career change."

* * *

Ginger made a point of stopping by the Emergency department on her first day of her new job. Dr. Joe Early stayed hidden in the shadows of a treatment room doorway. It had been over a month since he had last encountered her and she looked great. She obviously was sticking to her diet and had shed some pounds. He appreciated the curvy figure that rather bounced along the hallway instead of walking. Her makeup was more subdued and less caked on. The patterned colors of her blouse were a mixture of yellow, blue, and red; her skirt and low-heeled pumps a solid black. Her ensemble seemed more fitting for a daycare environment than the peacocky outfits you'd expect to see on an exotic dancer. _Former exotic dancer_, he corrected himself. He watched her wave Dixie down enthusiastically. Her unexplainable gravitational force started pulling on him.

"Thought I'd stop by and thank ya for helping me get this job." Ginger drew Dixie into a big hug.

His heart was pumping faster in response to the norepinephrine that the spigot in his brain had just released at the sound of her Long Island sexpot drawl. He gave into his desire to wish her good luck on her first day on the job and emerged from the doorway and walked towards the two women.

"Break a leg, Ginger."

He felt the injection of a couple more monoamines, dopamine and serotonin, into his system. He shoved his sweaty palms into his pocket and tried to control the breathlessness he was feeling. A shy smile played across his lips as he stood with the two women. He tried to control the bashful blinking of his eyes.

"Thanks Dr. Early." She batted her eyelashes deliberately and playfully at him.

Joe Early looked downward knowing that the dopamine in his system was causing his pupils to dilate and he wanted to hide what he assuredly knew she'd interpret as a come hither look on his part.

"Ginger's going to be quite the headliner with little tykes in daycare," Dixie affirmed soundly with a big smile. She glanced over at her normally taciturn colleague as she draped an arm around Ginger's shoulder and started walking up the hall with her.

"I can always work on becoming the favorite act of a handsome Doc if this doesn't pan out," Ginger drawled out loud enough for Dr. Early to hear.

A few more minutes of her teasing was going reduce him to a puddle of primordial goo all over the Emergency room floor.

"Just leave the snapping turtle at home Ginger," Dixie advised.

"Oh I will Dixie. That's a promise." The two women paused at the intersection of two hallways. Joe Early was still within hearing distance.

"Say Dixie, do I get to pick the doctor I want for my staff physical?"

"I'll see what I can do," Dixie answered as Ginger blew her a kiss and a wave as she headed towards the daycare center located at the other end of the hospital.

Dr. Early ducked behind the nursing station and pulled a chart out from one of the slots. He didn't know whose chart it was and didn't care. He needed the object to hide behind. Dixie paused in front of him on her way back. He really didn't want to know _WHAT_ the snapping turtle comment was all about.

"You know, I still haven't found out what the something is we're all overlooking." She cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at him before continuing to one of the treatment rooms.

Joe Early contemplated if he should call around to the other hospitals to see if they had an opening for a mild-mannered neurologist. The truth was even if they did, he really didn't want to transfer elsewhere to avoid Ginger. He was actually relieved Ginger didn't become another patient that he had treated and never crossed paths again with. He was drawn to her almost as much as he feared being overwhelmed by the blatant sexuality she tossed at him. There was something special about the bubbly platinum blonde that seemed to energize those that orbited in her proximity. Even as a patient, the nurses, orderlies, and other staff instantly liked her. Anyone who encountered her, even for a brief moment, couldn't help but carry some of her exuberance with them for the rest of the day. He could explain what chemicals she made his body release and which ones or combinations caused his heart to beat faster, his palms to sweat, and his pupils to dilate, but he couldn't explain what it was about _HER_ that caused them to be them to be released in the first place.

It wasn't too often he crossed paths with Ginger at the hospital. When she did come down to the Emergency department every once in a while to have a coffee or lunch break with Dixie, he made sure he was standing upright. On one occasion when he was bent over the fountain taking a drink she gave him a light slap on his ass as she walked by with Dixie. She'd often leave him feeling like a squirming bug on its back whenever they encountered each other.

No matter how anxious she made him feel, there were times he needed the pep in his spirit that she seemed to magically be able to give everyone. After working a madhouse night shift, he'd often head over to the hospital daycare and peek in on Ginger from the doorway and watch how eagerly the preschoolers clamored around her. Just watching her with the children at the daycare sent a renewing energy to him physically as well as his weary spirit.

It had been almost five months since the curvaceous Ginger had started working at the daycare. He still carried regular debates with himself on whether to ask her out or just to keep doing his best at ducking her, enjoying her effervesce from a distance.

* * *

Dr. Early pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched the orderlies whisk away the youngest Peters child that he had just finished treating out of the room and up to the OR. He had just got word that the child's mother had died during surgery. His shoulders slouched with the weight of losing more than he'd saved today while his leaden legs directed him towards Treatment Room 4 where the door swung open and Dr. Brackett entered the hallway. He could tell by the clenched jaw and angry tick in his fellow doctor's jaw that they had just lost another member of the Peters family.

The two physicians locked eyes.

"Go on home Joe, you shoulda been outta here three hours ago. I'll go talk to the family members."

He gave Kel a nod before turning around and heading towards the men's locker room. Once inside, he tossed his soiled lab coat into the laundry bin and made his way towards the sink. He turned on the facet for the cold water. Cupping his hands underneath the running water, leaned his head over the sink and splashed its cold iciness over his face several times. It didn't cleanse the impotent rage he felt over saving only one of the five members of the Peters family.

Senseless stupidity.

He thought of the inattentive driver checking out his stock investments in the newspaper while driving. He ran a red light and plowed into the side of the Peters station wagon. He would live, but have a long recovery and the deaths of four others weighing on his mind for the rest of his life.

"Grossly idiotic lack of common sense. Can't drive and read the fucking paper at the same time," he muttered jamming his hands into the pockets of his trousers as he exited the locker room.

He headed up the hallway towards the nursing station. He'd double-check and make sure that he signed off on all his patients before leaving. He needed to leave this place before it sucked the remaining life out of him, grab a scotch on the rocks, and sit on the deck of his beach house. He let out a deep sigh. He knew he'd be back for his shift tomorrow after he got over the rage and powerlessness he felt with the loss of most of the Peters family.

He was almost at the nursing station when he caught the tail end of a conversation between Dixie and Ginger. His current mood made him feel immune from her normally outrageous flirting. Ginger could have been wearing nothing but a trench coat and holding it wide open without getting any kind of reaction out of him.

"Doncha worry 'bout it, Dixie. You're needed here more. I'll call a cab home from the store if I need ta."

Dixie gave her a tired smile. "Thanks for being so understanding. I'm really…"

Dr. Early cleared his throat and interrupted them.

"Anything I can help with?"

What the hell, he thought to himself. If she needed a lift somewhere it wouldn't hurt to offer one. The driving around might do him some good. It sure beat drinking on his deck. He was certain the toll of the last few hours would anesthetize him from Ginger's suggestive phrases or antics.

"How about you go wait in the lounge for me," He suggested. "I've got a few charts to sign off on before I can leave."

Dixie pointed to a small stack of patient charts on the desktop that she had already pulled for him. Mechanically, he opened the first one, glanced through it, signed it, closed it, and moved onto the next one.

Once Ginger had entered the staff lounge, Dixie leaned in close to him teasingly whispered in his ear. "Should I trust you with her? Normally, you're like a scared rabbit when she's around."

"Correction, a deer in her crosshairs and right now I'm too old, too numb, and too weary to get it up even if I wanted to so she's safe with me."

"Have it your way, Bambi."

He changed the topic as he snapped the last chart closed. "How'd you get stuck with overtime?"

Dixie released the air in her lungs in an exasperated sigh. "Angie called in sick. Nobody's available to fill in. Carol's coming in three hours early to split the shift with me. Looks like you've been through the wringer."

"The last three hours have been pretty shitty, to put it mildly. You may want to sound the warning bells. The accident with the Peters family left Kel in a sour mood."

Dixie looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "Yeah, that was a tough one on everybody."

Dr. Early nodded his head in agreement, walked out from behind the nurse's station and paused in the hallway.

"So what is it I've just gotten myself into with Ginger?"

"She's in charge of decorations and activities for the daycare picnic next Saturday. You've signed on for shopping duty."

"Dix, next time I want to play the Good Samaritan, could you please kick me?"

Dixie smiled impishly. "Absolutely, I'll even offer to kick you for the hell of it."

* * *

"Oh look!" Ginger exclaimed excitedly as they went down the far end aisle of the toy store.

Joe watched her grab several horns, kazoos, and other toy instruments and put them into the shopping cart. He could almost hear the full symphony of racket the children would make with them at the picnic as Ginger tried a few of them out. He wondered if she felt slighted or hurt by his lack of response to her. He had been silent on the drive over and decided to make some small talk.

"Seems like things are working out at the daycare for you."

"Oh yeah, those little kids are somethin' let me tell ya'. It's like they fill ya' up with hope and joy every time ya' see 'im. Once they git to know ya' a little, they trust ya. Almost like how people trust their doctors to take care of im."

Joe paused as the last few words she spoke struck a chord with him. Even while he still was feeling the effects of the senseless carnage and lost lives from earlier today, it was the trust that people – the public – put into him and the rest of the Emergency staff that was the driving force that kept him coming back for the next shift. It was also the hope that he and his colleagues gave the loved ones of those they treated that made being a doctor worthwhile. He felt a slight ebbing of the frustration and uselessness that clung to him.

"Joe, ya' think punchin' balloons would be okay?" Ginger had managed to add more stuff to her cart.

He walked the aisle to her side. "What the heck are punching balloons?"

"Ya' blow 'em up and hang onto the 'lastic and punch 'em."

He held one in his hand and noticed the rubber latex was significantly thicker than a regular balloon. He put the end to his mouth and tried to blow it up. He could feel the strong resistance in the balloon as he tried to force more air into it.

"Someone's gonna blow a lung trying to inflate these damn things."

"I'm sure there's enough windbags 'round the hospital that can fill 'im up."

"They seem pretty durable, but I'd stick with giving them to the older kids. I've seen too many toddlers come into the ER after choking on pieces of a broken balloon."

"Let's see, I need a few more decorations and stuff." Ginger looked a little disappointed for a moment.

"I think decorations are more for the adults than the kids." Joe peered into the shopping cart. "Let's see, you've got streamers, all kinds of noise makers, party toys, a couple of piñatas. Kids pay more attention to the stuff that's fun for them."

"Yeah, they do. Probably don't need any more decorations." Ginger tossed in some paper plates, napkins, Styrofoam cups, and plastic cutlery into the cart. "Fi-ion china, linens, crystal, and silva-ware."

He smiled at her as she continued to push her cart towards the end of the aisle. They rounded the corner and her eyes widened in excitement.

"BUBBLES! Doncha just love bubbles?" She said gleefully as she added them to the cart.

"Bubbles are fun." His smile displayed his amusement over her child-like enthusiasm.

"Look over there." She pointed towards a display of pinwheels. "Those would make great decorations and the kids'll have so much have fun with 'im."

She hurried over the multicolored, shiny, plastic pinwheels and began counting enough out for the expected amount of 30 children. The grimness that had coated him less than an hour ago finally sloughed off of him as he watched her.

Joe pushed the cart over towards her. "The kids will enjoy watching them spin in a breeze."

"Just put ya' lips together and blow." Ginger giggled at him while a mischievous twinkle danced in her eyes as she held up a pinwheel near her puckered lips and emitting a breezy breath though them.

His reaction was purely instinctive. Impulsively, he positioned himself directly in front of her, wrapped his arms around her waist as he swooped in and claimed her lips in a kiss.

"It's been a loooong time since a fella left me speechless." Ginger noticed the devilish glint in his eyes.

He smiled broadly at her. "Chickadee, you had it comin' to ya for a long time."

She gave him an unsure look. "Ummm, ya' know I think I got everythin' I need."

"Time to check out?"

Recovering her self-assuredness, she looked him up and down in an appraising manner. "I'm all for doing some checking out."

* * *

He had helped her bring the bags of decorations and party favors into her apartment. He honestly planned on leaving shortly dropping her off, but the gentlemanly kiss goodbye he had started to give her combusted into something more fiery that consumed them both. He couldn't remember who started undoing the buttons first. Smiling, he recalled how long it had finally taken them to divest each other of their clothes before finally making it to the bed in her bedroom.

Joe Early leaned against the headboard with a couple of fluffy pillows cushioning his back against the hard surface. He wasn't surprised that Ginger's bedding was of the expensive satin variety. Her head of tousled platinum curls was resting against his shoulder. She lightly traced the scar that ran down the center of his chest from the bypass surgery he had over a year ago before her fingers decided to amuse themselves with the grey hairs that covered his chest.

His initial euphoria had now drifted into more mellow waters. This was one of those rare times where his fulfillment went beyond the physical level. It felt naturally comfortable for them to continue touching and exploring each other amid the tangled bed sheets. It had been awhile since he had actually been with a woman; one of the downsides of his job, he supposed.

She placed a kiss on his shoulder while enjoying the feel of his fingers toying with the strands of her hair.

His hand moved downward and began to lightly caress her shoulder and he broke their pleasurable silence. "You know, I'm feeling…a little….Mmmmmmmmmm."

"Mmmmmmmmmm is a very good feelin' ya' know."

He slid downward and pulled her on top of him and gave her a languidly, contented smile. "A very good feeling."

* * *

Dr. Early sat at the round table in the staff lounge with a sea of papers spread out in front of him. A pair of bifocals perched near the end of his nose as his eyes scanned an advertisement in the woman's magazine. The words '_Prolinn is Here_' proclaimed the advertisement on the page. He pursed his lips together as he continued reading the advertisement. His stomach curdled as when he reached the words '_predigested liquid protein_.'

"Ten fucking bucks for a quart of death." He angrily tossed the magazine to the edge of the table.

He picked up the patient chart and on a notepad jotted down some nutritional irregularities he had found in the patient's lab work, most notably the potassium deficiency which was the likely cause of the 25-year-old woman's heart attack. According to her family she was overweight by approximately 75 to 100 pounds. She had bought this concoction over the counter on her own without the benefit of being under a doctor's supervision; the obvious signs of starvation such as dizzy spells, hair loss, dry skin, and constipation either went ignored, unnoticed, and unreported by the patient.

The door to the lounge swung open and Drs. Brackett and Morton were discussing a case between them as they entered.

"How are you making out on your report for Atlanta?" Dr. Brackett said as Dr. Early looked up at him.

"It'll be done before I leave today," Dr. Early answered. "So far the commissioner for the FDA is recommending warning labels on these products."

"Well, that's a step in the right direction."

"No Kel, it isn't. They've asked the manufacturers to put labels on these death potions on a voluntary basis. A meaningless suggestion."

Dr. Morton leaned against the counter with a coffee cup in his hand. "Bring me up to speed here. What's Joe's letter to the CDC about?"

Dr. Brackett picked up the magazine that was teetering on the edge of the table and handed over to Dr. Morton. "This shit here, Mike."

"Prolinn…Last Chance Diet…EWWwww that sounds gross." Dr. Morton shuddered as he read the ad.

"He's gotten to the part about the liquid proteins." Dr. Early picked up a report from the clutter of paper in front of him and held it out to Dr. Brackett. "Here, have him read where those proteins come from."

Dr. Morton reluctantly took the paper that Dr. Brackett held out to him. "I take it I'm not gonna want lunch after this."

"I don't get it Joe. Why doesn't the FDA just ban this stuff?" Dr. Brackett set his coffee cup onto the table and sat down.

"Because this crap is classified as a food, not a drug."

"Seriously?" Dr. Morton said as he slammed the report on top of the other papers on the table. "This isn't even fit for human consumption. Discarded slaughterhouse byproducts is _NOT_ food. Not by a longshot."

Dr. Early took a sip of his now stone cold coffee and grimaced. Dr. Morton grabbed the cup from his hand and emptied the remains into the sink before refilling it with fresh coffee.

"You take it black, Joe?"

"Only way to drink coffee," Dr. Early answered as Dr. Morton handed him his cup back.

"So what's the rest of the jive on this diet product?" Dr. Morton joined them at the table.

"Basically, you shell out fifty bucks a week for this garbage. You mix it with water or diet soda. That's all you consume which equals about 300-400 hundred calories a day."

"The price of beauty," Dr. Brackett said sarcastically as his eyebrows knitted together.

Dr. Early snorted. "Pure snake oil."

"So how long is someone supposed to keep this regiment up?" Dr. Morton asked.

Dr. Early held up the patient chart. "This 25-year-old girl's heart gave out after being on the diet almost six months."

"Six months on that shit? The human body isn't meant to survive that long on nothing." Dr. Morton shook his head. "So the bottom line is she paid a fortune to starve herself to death on ground hooves and cowhide."

Dr. Early handed Dr. Morton the patient's chart. "Check out her potassium levels."

"Dieters are advised to take vitamins and minerals, especially potassium and folic acid." Dr. Brackett cocked an eyebrow at Dr. Morton. "If they do this diet on their own without being under a doctor's supervision and regular monitoring you have a recipe for disaster."

"If beauty came in a bottle everyone would look perfect and what a borin' world it would be." Dr. Morton shook his head.

"True, but tell that to the women who would put themselves through anything to get skinny. It can be mindboggling to say the least." Dr. Brackett added grimly.

"Or to stay skinny." Dr. Morton added as he leaned onto the table with his elbows. "I had a case a few months ago where an aspiring model ended up clogging up her bowels trying some new diet fad."

"I'm afraid to ask," Dr. Brackett mumbled.

"Cotton balls! She had been eating cotton balls dipped in orange juice. The cotton balls give you that full feeling and the orange juice gives you a bit of an energy spike."

"AND you crash after the spike wears off." Dr. Early took off his bifocals and set them on top of his notepad. "Of all the cockamamie things we've seen in this ER, that takes the cake."

"What's wrong with avoiding junk food, eating balanced amounts of the proper foods, and exercise?" Dr. Morton shook his head.

"It takes longer and people want instant results without making permanent modifications to their lifestyles. The results aren't fast enough doing it the proper way," Dr. Brackett added.

Dr. Early leaned back in his chair. "Let's face it Kel, there's always some diet gimmick or fad coming down the pike."

Dr. Brackett looked over at Dr. Morton. "Some of these fads are fairly harmless like the Cabbage Soup Diet and then there are others carry potentially hazardous health risks like the Tapeworm Diet."

"I actually came across a case of malaria back when I was practicing at Valley Presbyterian Hospital as a result of a lady swallowing a tapeworm," Dr. Early added.

Dr. Early turned to Dr. Morton. "You know what Dinitrophenol is Mike?"

"You don't mean to tell me that was used to lose weight."

"Back in the thirties for about five years, it was sold in the form of diet pills. Sure, it increased the body's metabolic rate, but it also resulted in formation of skin lesions, cataracts, and death."

"That was before our time, Mike," Dr. Brackett added.

Dr. Early jutted his thumb out in Dr. Brackett's direction. "He was running around in nappies back then."

"Stupid talks, vanity acts. Bottom line I guess." Dr. Morton added.

"Well, I think it's more than vanity coming into play." Dr. Brackett looked pointedly at his fellow doctors. "I remember a few years ago a young woman, a little on the plump side, taking her friends diuretics because she wanted to lose weight because she didn't want to be alone. I attributed it to 'women's vanity,' and Dixie to 'men's blindness.'"

"You have to admit, Kel; Dixie had a good point." Dr. Early picked up his pen and tapped it against the notepad. "Men tend to be drawn to the hot chicks first, leaving the Plain Janes sitting on the sidelines. How often in a relationship do you recall complimenting a woman on the beauty she possesses beyond the physical?"

"That's a good point, Joe." Dr. Morton concurred. "Admittedly, I don't think I've done much of that in any of the relationships I've been in."

"I think there's more to it than just a person wanting to attract the opposite sex. Part of it is society's perception of beauty," Dr. Early said. "Up until the twentieth century it was the voluptuous women who were considered beautiful, especially in the Renaissance era. These days every woman wants to look like Twiggy."

"There are some morbidly obese individuals who are choosing to lose weight and start embarking on a healthier lifestyle in general." Dr. Brackett added. "It's just that too many expect to see overnight results and resort to taking dangerous shortcuts."

"Many people also have unrealistic expectations of themselves. They don't consider how their body shape, bone structure, or genetics factor into things." Dr. Early picked up his bifocals and put them back on.

"People need to also discuss going on a diet or starting an exercise program with their doctors." Dr. Morton pushed back his chair and started to get up. "And maybe doctors should be more tuned-in to the mental perception every patient has of themselves."

"A variety of contributors and motivators where no one answer is the same for everybody." Dr. Early sighed.

"Yep that's about it." Dr. Brackett looked at his watch and got up from the table. "By the way Joe, the EKG from your physical looks good."

"Nice to know the new plumbing is holding up. Scar healed nicely, Fred did a good job stitching me up after tinkering around with my insides."

"Say Joe, I've been meaning to ask you about that _lesion_ I saw on your shoulder during your examination?"

"It was a scrape and I'm stickin' to my story. Like most scrapes it's healed."

"You're not insinuating that _our_ Dr. Early may have had a love bite." Dr. Morton stood at the door beside Dr. Brackett and cupped his chin with his hand in contemplation. "Is it even possible for the old coot to –ah- you know, rise to the occasion?"

"Puh-leeze!" Dr. Brackett said in feigned shock. "He's waiting for them to invent the magic pill for erectile dysfunction. Until then, his only hope is a splint."

Drs. Brackett and Morton exchanged sly smiles between the two of them as they stood in the doorway of the lounge.

"That's enough out of you two assholes. Will you get the hell outta here so I can finish this report?"

* * *

He let himself into the quietness of his beach house and slowly walked over to the kitchenette counter. He laid one envelope on the table, something that might be good and a second on top of the first. He started a different pile with the third envelope: crap. He quickly laid the next two on top of that, crap, and more crap. He scooped up his crap pile and walked over to the garbage can. Stepping on the lever with his foot, he tossed them in. He headed towards the wet bar and paused for a moment. A small smile played across his lips. He knew Ginger was already here when he saw her car parked outside. The slight smell of her perfume wafted in the air. She was waiting for him, but he needed a brief moment of solitude before he went to her.

He grabbed a tumbler from the bar and filled the bottom of the glass with ice. He took the bottle of Chivas Regal from the shelf. He unscrewed the cap and poured two fingers worth of the amber liquid slowly over the ice cubes before recapping the bottle and putting it away. He took his glass and went over to the living room couch. He took a small sip of the scotch before sitting down and noticing the piece of paper she had left for him on the coffee table. He leaned over the coffee table and looked down at the note she had left for him. Her handwriting was right slanted and large with full loops and curves that reflected her spontaneously fun and lively personality.

"_A hot-blooded woman is waiting for you in the bedroom."_

He had no doubt there was.

He sipped his drink slowly while looking out the sliding glass door to his deck and watched the remaining rays of the sun dance in the reflection off the ocean's water. He downed the last of his drink and heard the ice cubes clinking together in the bottom of the empty glass. Once he had set his empty glass in the kitchen sink he quietly walked across the carpeted living room and into his bedroom.

She was half under the covers of his bed in a royal blue negligee with spaghetti straps. She was facing away from him reading a book. He stealthily undressed, emptying the contents of his pockets onto his bureau. He went to the entrance of the en suite bathroom to toss his clothing into the hamper before making his way to his bed. He slid underneath the covers beside her and pulled the sheets up to his waist. Leaning over, he brushed the strands of hair away on her neck and examined the pea-sized mole that was just above the junction of where her shoulder blades met.

"If ya' don't like it I can always get it removed." She flipped a page in her book without turning towards him.

"I'm a doctor. It's my job to examine these things. I'll let you know if it needs to be removed."

He brushed a finger lightly across the spot at the tip of her spine slightly to the left of the mole. "Besides it marks this spot for me."

He smiled as he noticed the shiver that ran through her. She folded the corner of the page of the book she was reading as she closed it and turned around to face him.

"Examine away."

"Ginger, how come you only wear sexy nightgowns when you're at my place?"

"I like the feel of satin against my skin. It makes me feel beautiful and indulgent."

His finger traced around her ear. "How about the first chance I get, I pick up some satin sheets for my bed?"

"How come I get the feeling that satin sheets isn't what's on your mind." She propped her head up with one hand, propped up by her elbow. "I'm all ears, handsome."

"It makes no difference to me what kind of sheets I sleep in. If satin sheets make you feel good then I want to go out and get them."

"Cut the bull buster and spill it."

"I guess it has something to do with a report I'm filling out. It's about this new diet drink and it's a dangerous sham. It's a starvation diet."

"If you really feel this product is harmful then by all means fill out the report. Just remember you can't cure the whole world either. I know you wish you could, but you can only help one patient at a time."

"I had a 25-year-old woman die two days ago from being on this diet and there's been other deaths around the country linked to this stuff."

"Okay, go on…" Ginger said hesitantly.

"Today Kel and Mike joined me in the lounge and we started talking about this case. Then we got into some of the other crazy diets and dangerous products that have been out there in the past."

He paused and looked down at Ginger. She could see the emotions clouding his eyes.

"Remember when we first met…what brought you to the Emergency room?"

"Oh honey, you aren't thinking I'd go back to doin' that?"

He could see confusion and hurt in her face.

"Ginger, I don't think that you intend to do that. I-I just…It's just…"

He banged his head off the headboard in frustration. "Ahhhhhh….dammit… You mean more to me than just another roll in the hay. You're someone who is special to me; someone I care about deeply."

"I don't want to ever see you to make changes to yourself because you think that's what others want." He locked eyes with her. "I'm being a stupid asshole aren't I?"

"You're making some sense there." She gave him a leery look.

"You have this amazing ability to lift a person's spirits up, even total strangers, just by being you."

Her face softened into a smile as she drew a heart with a finger on the left side of his chest. "I know that big heart of yours has a lot of caring in it."

"I just want Ginger to be happy with Ginger. She's a hellva gal."

"I'll be straight with ya' bub. It hasn't been easy sticking to this diet plan the doctor gave me. It woulda been impossible if I went back to bein' a dancer. Show biz is a cut throat world at times."

He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Grateful that she knew he wasn't trying to hurt her feelings earlier.

"I would still be in a vicious circle if it for wasn't for a hospital filled people like you. Ya' know the first time I metcha I felt like you were genuinely concerned about me. You cared for me just because I was a human being and needed help. I betcha you make all your patients feel that way."

"You think so?"

"I know so. That's what makes Dr. Joe Early a very special man as well as a wonderful doctor. It's that natural compassion you have for your fellow man that comes through to every patient you treat."

"Now I know why I keep you around. You're smart."

"I keep getting smarter too." Ginger waggled her eyebrows at him as she flashed the book she was reading at him.

He grinned at her. "So tell me about the book."

"I'm learnin' an ancient language."

"Does that mean I'll have to watch my Latin phrases around you?"

"Not exactly." She turned the book around so he could see the front cover.

"Kama Sutra is not an ancient language, Ginger." He placed his finger on the tip of her nose for a moment.

"Sure it is. Ancient body language. Been around since 400 BC maybe longer."

A deep laughter escaped him. "Only my Ginger would consider 'body' a language."

"I only understand two languages – Body and English."

Joe flipped through the book stopping at spots. He looked at her occasionally with a raised eyebrow.

"Ginger, I don't recommend you do any of what this book is suggesting without being under a doctor's supervision."

"Ya' volunteering there, doc?"

"You betcha. Although I do recommend sticking with the stuff in here where we aren't in danger of hurting ourselves."

"That sounds fair."

"How far are you into this book."

"Part way through the second chapter."

"How about you fill me in on the first chapter." He pulled her closer to him as he slipped the book under a pillow.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. "Ooooooo, I love it when a man wants to be schooled."

* * *

It was raining hard as Dr. Early pulled into the staff lot for the Emergency Department at the hospital. He reached over onto the passenger seat to retrieve his umbrella and raincoat. He saw the car pull up beside him. He had beaten her here. He quickly opened the umbrella as he closed his car door and ran over to the driver side of her car.

"Hurry it up. It's pouring out here."

"I'm coming, don't rush me."

They ran quickly across the lot and through the automatic doors of the Emergency department.

"Why didn't you park over in the far lot closer to the daycare?"

"Cause I enjoy walkin' through the hospital and sayin' hi to everyone."

He gave her a smile and looked around the isolated area outside of Dr. Brackett's office to make sure nobody saw the quick kiss he gave her.

"I sometimes feel like shouting out to everyone in the hospital that you're my gal."

"Well I kinda enjoy the naughty feelin' I get from keepin' it a secret."

"Have it your way, kitten."

"Catcha later, Dr. Feelgood." She batted her starry-blue eyes at him.

He gave her well-rounded bottom a slap. He smiled as he watched her walk down the hallway. Sometimes the cheerful smile from somebody like Ginger was the best thing for a person. The gift of genuine heartfelt smile from a complete stranger was just the gift a sick, tired, or weary soul needed; it gave them a glimmer of the hope they really need. So much can be given from such a simple act, he thought to himself.

"HEY!" He yelled out to her and waited for her to turn around. "Go sprinkle a little Ginger around the hospital today, will yeah?"

* * *

**Author Notes:**

"**Stupid talks, vanity acts"- Victor Hugo (1802 – 1885)**

"**I speak two languages – Body and English" – Mae West (1893-1980)**

**There have been many diets throughout the centuries. Some were bizarre, some did nothing or had no benefits, and some were definitely harmful. Here's some additional information and facts on the ones mentioned in this story.**

**Dinitrophenol which is used as a pesticide and in the manufacturer of dyes and wood preservatives was sold as diet pills between 1933-1938.**

**The Tapeworm Diet was first around in the 1900s and a resurgence of this diet occurred in the 1950s. Violent diarrhea, vomiting, malnutrition, and the formation of cysts in the liver, eyes and brain were all common side effects from the Tapeworm Diet. Tapeworms can cause seizures, meningitis, dementia and even death. The sale of tapeworms is banned in many countries.**

**The Cotton Ball Diet is a recent diet fad that has occurred over the last several years. It was added to this story as a reminder that even today people will go to extreme measures to achieve or maintain what passes for the ideal body. This diet is obviously not going to have much nutritional value and it can clog you digestive system causing many possible aliments like aspiration pneumonia, bowel obstructions and twisting of the intestines to name a few.**

**Dr. Roger Linn invented the Prolinn Diet (aka The Last Chance Diet) was heralded as a revolutionary breakthrough against the fight with obesity. Dr. Linn also made the 1977 list of People Magazines Most Intriguing People of the Year. At the height of the Last Chance Diet's popularity 1977, there were 26 reported deaths that have been directly linked to the Prolinn formula. It was also sold under other names such as Gro-Lean, Super Pro-Gest, LPP or E.M.F. The idea was that your body will go into 'starvation' mode and use up all of its own resources. The concoction you drank was pure protein and easily digestible, giving you just enough fuel to stay alive. Original warnings on the Prolinn formula containers were that maintaining a high protein diet could lead to kidney complications. However, what they didn't tell you was that the Prolinn diet was not a high protein diet. The daily intake of some protein meant that dieters were not displaying the normal signs of starvation, so even doctors wouldn't spot an impending cardiac collapse coming. In 1977, the Food and Drug Administration questioned whether Prolinn was food or medication, and considered banning the substance. There were investigations by both Federal Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and the Food and Drug Administration over the deaths linked to this product and similar ones. The FDA received around 200 complaints about the diet that included almost 60 deaths. Autopsies performed on those who had died while on this diet showed a large loss of protein from their heart muscle. **


End file.
